The present invention relates generally to an interior system for an automotive vehicle and, more particularly, to a passenger restraint system for the use upon vehicle collision.
Various types of interior systems for an automotive vehicle have been proposed in past years. One of such interior systems is described, for example, in Manual of Automotive Engineering, 7th version, .sctn. 15, pp. 1-128 to 1-134, published by Jidosha Gijutsu Kai. Referring to FIG. 14, this interior system includes, as interior elements, a three-point seat belt arrangement which has a retractor 103 fixed to a center pillar 101 of a vehicle body at the lower portion thereof, a shoulder anchor 107 fixed to the center pillar 101 at the upper portion thereof, an outer anchor 111 fixed to the center pillar 101 at the lower portion thereof, and an inner anchor 113 having a buckle 115. A webbing 105 as drawn from the retractor 103, which passes through the shoulder anchor 107, then a through ring of a tang 109, is connected to the outer anchor 111. A passenger restraint is achieved by insertedly engaging the tang 109 accompanied by the webbing 105 with the buckle 115 of the inner anchor 113.
When developing the automotive vehicle, a vehicle collision test is generally performed to improve the passenger restraint performance. In this test, the vehicle, in which a dummy is seated on a seat and bound by a restraint device such as a seat belt, is made to collide so as to determine a behavior of each part of a passenger, G waveforms of a head, a chest, etc. thereof, and a load of a thigh, etc. thereof. Based on a result of the vehicle collision test, it is examined whether specifications of the vehicle are excellent in passenger restraint performance.
Additionally, a passenger's behavior simulation computation is performed so as to assist such vehicle development based on the collision test. In this computation, the passenger's behavior, and a G waveform and a load of each portion of the vehicle are dynamically calculated by using a microcomputer.
In that event, the microcomputer receives various data: geometric data such as a passenger's constitution, etc.; passenger data such as a passenger's seating posture, etc.; material characteristic data such as a shape, a load-displacement characteristic, etc. of passenger restraint devices and interlots as being in contact with the passenger such as a seat belt arrangement, an air bag, a knee bolster, a floor panel, and a dash board; and collision data such as a vehicle collision speed, a G waveform of vehicle body crush, etc.
With such known interior system for an automotive vehicle, the passenger's behavior simulation compute and the vehicle collision test have taken place so as to obtain a single valid solution to average passenger conditions such as a height, a weight, and a seating posture, and general collision conditions such as a collision speed, and a G waveform of vehicle body crush, thus determining specifications such as a position of each anchor of the seat belt arrangement, and a load-displacement characteristic of the webbing. Accordingly, the known interior system had its limit to provide an optimal passenger restraint performance for every passenger in spite of sufficient passenger restraint.